The landmark move from dual foil and cellulose to recyclable paper wrappers will see Quality Street remove almost 2.5 billion individual pieces of packaging material from its supply chain globally.
Developed by packaging experts at Nestlé's Confectionery Research and Development Center in York, UK, and the Swiss-based Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences, the transition to paper required extensive development in the engineering of new materials, coating technologies, printing techniques and the adaptation of existing equipment.
Two flavors - Orange Crunch and the Green Triangle - will remain in their existing foil wrappers as they can already be recycled. The move to new paper packaging for the nine remaining twist-wrapped sweets will take a few months to fully implement. Therefore, until the end of year, consumers can expect to find both existing and new wrappers in their cartons, pouches, tubs and tins.
Louise Barrett, Head of the Nestlé Confectionery Product Technology Centre in York, said: "With nine different sweets to consider, the transition has been a huge undertaking. Each of our existing machines need to be adapted to run paper and then rigorously tested by our packaging experts to ensure we're still delivering the same quality consumers expect when they open a box of Quality Street.
"Quality Street made history from the start, using the world's first twist-wrapping machine to revolutionize the way chocolates were manufactured and sold. Now we are making history again with the introduction of paper packaging for our famous sweets. We hope the fact that our famous sweets are now recyclable will make finding your own Quality Street favorites even more popular this year."
Since it was first launched in 1936, Quality Street has been produced in Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK. The brand has been working to improve the sustainability of its operations and supply chain for well over a decade. In the Halifax factory there is zero waste to landfill. The brand has used only certified sustainably sourced cocoa since 2015, and Quality Street chocolate is made from milk sourced from farms in Scotland that have been part of a sustainable farming partnership with Nestlé since 2003.
Following in the footsteps of Smarties, which introduced recyclable paper packaging for all its confectionery products globally in 2021, Quality Street is the second Nestlé confectionery brand to make the move to paper. This major step will contribute to Nestlé's commitment to reach 100% recyclable packaging by 2025.
